Life Kit: Money

Data, statistics and algorithms dominate every aspect of our lives. But how accurate are they, and how fair? This hour, TED speakers explore the ups and downs of relying too much on the numbers. Guests include mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil, computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, data visualisation editor Alan Smith, data journalist Mona Chalabi, and criminal justice reformer Anne Milgram.

What does money tell us about human nature? How does it motivate, trick, satisfy and disappoint us? In this hour, TED speakers share insights into our relationship with money. Guests include psychologist Laurie Santos, behavioral economist Keith Chen, social psychologist Paul Piff, writer Daniel Pink and social scientist Michael Norton. (Original broadcast date: April 4, 2014).

What are the five biggest global challenges we face right now — and what can we do about them? This hour, TED speakers explore some radical solutions to these enduring problems. Guests include geoengineer Tim Kruger, president of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband, political scientist Ian Bremmer, global data analyst Sarah Menker, and historian Rutger Bregman.

Math intimidates a lot of us, but it can deliver surprising answers to life's pressing questions. In this episode, TED speakers discuss the elegant simplicity, and giddy complexity, of solving for X. Guests include comic book author Randall Munroe, polymath Terry Moore, percussionist Clayton Cameron and Mathematician Hannah Fry. (Original broadcast date: March 5, 2015)

Beauty surrounds us, draws us in, gives joy and creates conflict. In this hour, TED speakers conjure up beauty both ancient and modern, and suggest reasons why humans are hardwired to crave and respond to beauty. Guests include the late philosopher Denis Dutton, psychologist Nancy Etcoff, fashion model Cameron Russell, community activist Bill Strickland, and designer Richard Seymour. (Original broadcast date: April 19, 2013)

Our approach to treating disease is, in many ways, narrow and rooted in the past. Is it time for a new paradigm? This hour, TED speakers share their visions for new ways to understand medicine. Guests include cancer physician and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, surgeon and writer Atul Gawande, neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, and internist Joseph Ravenell.

Are deception and secrecy categorically wrong? Or can they be a necessary means to an end? This hour, TED speakers share stories of going undercover to explore unknown territory, and find the truth. Guests include poet and activist Theo E.J. Wilson, journalist Jamie Bartlett, counter-terrorism expert Mubin Shaikh, and educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh.

The brain can seem as mysterious as a distant galaxy, but scientists are starting to map and manipulate its many regions. In this hour, TED speakers take us on a trip through the human brain. Guests include neuroanatomist Jill Bolte-Taylor, neuroscientists Suzana Herculano-Houzel and Nancy Kanwisher, cognitive neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe, and philosopher David Chalmers. (Original broadcast date: February 20, 2015)

Sometimes, being truthful can be uncomfortable — even risky. But can radical honesty and openness change things for the better? This hour, TED speakers take transparency all the way to its limit. Guests include business writer David Burkus, entrepreneur Ray Dalio, journalist Trevor Timm, and hospital-patient liaison Leilani Schweitzer.

Once invisible details of our lives can now be tracked and turned into data. Will this make life easier or more complicated? This hour, TED speakers imagine how Big Data will reshape our world. Guests include tech journalist Kenneth Cukier, scientist Riccardo Sabatini, data analyst Susan Etlinger, and astronomer Andrew Connolly. (Original broadcast date: September 9, 2016)